Everyone is familiar with the need for storage of their belongings in their homes. As a result, almost every home generally has storage units, such as closets, cupboards, storage racks, etc. to enable the occupants to store and neatly organize their possessions. Not only are storage units widely used in people's households but also in businesses which require merchandise to be exhibited for selection by the customers.
Storage units are also widely used by businesses that perform repairs or businesses that utilize raw materials to produce finished goods. For example, it is very common to see storage units in car repair centers, wherein the storage units are used for neatly organizing nuts, bolts, car parts, tools or the like. These storage units are generally constructed from wood or metal, which is disadvantageous in that it fails to secure metallic parts therein; consequently, the stored parts often slip out, and, in the case of small components, these parts are often lost.
In addition, it is difficult to store commonly used small metallic components in a way in which they are also easily seen and easily retrieved. Most storage solutions for small components place them in the corner of a small drawer, where they are difficult to find when needed.
Similarly, few effective storage solutions have been proposed for magnetic tools which allow them to be stored out of the way, yet still be instantly available when needed.
To overcome the disadvantages of the typical wood or metallic storage units, some have suggested the use of magnetic storage units. Examples of such storage units are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,303,158 to Perkins, U.S. Pat. No. 5,405,004 to Vest et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 5,699,910 to Kubat.
While the prior art units may be suitable for the particular purpose employed, or for general use, they would not be as suitable for the purposes of the present invention as disclosed hereinafter.